As violent clashes between police and protesters erupted Sunday evening, the Kentucky city of Lexington emerged as one notable exception of how the two groups could demonstrate together in solidarity.
During peaceful protests Sunday evening, Lexington officers clad in riot gear knelt and prayed with protestors, even embracing demonstrators too. The moments of unity were captured on video.
Following chants from protestors urging officers to kneel with them, Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers first took a knee, according to department spokeswoman Brenna Angel. The chief then told officers they could also kneel if desired, she said.
“It was a beautiful thing,” Devine Carama, a hip-hop artist, community youth activist and organizer, told CNN. He was on the front line of the peaceful demonstrations Sunday evening.
“Obviously the protestors were down there to protest police violence and bringing value to black lives. But it was almost as if the police officers in Lexington were showing solidarity with protestors, as opposed to it being a battle. I don’t think that’s what the protestors expected,” he continued.